What to Do Before the Window Cleaner Arrives
Most prep advice for window cleaning is written by people trying to save themselves work. The honest version is shorter: there is very little you need to do, and a few small things that genuinely help. A good crew arrives expecting to move light furniture, deal with blinds, and work around a normal lived-in house. What they cannot do is unlock your gate, restrain your dog, or stop the sprinklers coming on halfway through the job — and those are the things that actually cost time on a Bend property, along with blocked access to the tracks and sills we need to reach.
Here is what is worth doing before the crew arrives, what you can safely ignore, and the handful of Bend-specific items that catch people out.
What helps, and what you can skip
Task | Worth doing? | Why | Who normally does it |
|---|---|---|---|
Unlock gates and side access | Yes, essential | Half the exterior is unreachable without it | You, before we arrive |
Turn off the sprinkler timer | Yes | Mid-job irrigation spots finished glass | You, the night before |
Secure pets | Yes | Ladders and open gates are a safety risk | You |
Move light furniture | No | We move and replace it as part of the job | Us |
Pre-clean the glass | No | Changes neither the price nor the time | Nobody |
Key insight: you do not need to clean before the cleaner arrives. You do need to make the glass reachable — inside and out.
The four things that actually cost time on site
Three things people worry about that do not matter
1. Pre-cleaning the windows
It happens more often than you would think, and it achieves nothing. Washing the glass before a professional arrives does not reduce the price or the time, because the work is the same either way.
2. Taking down every blind and curtain
Raise blinds and pull curtains clear and that is plenty. Removing hardware is unnecessary, and sheer curtains can usually just be lifted aside. If hard water spotting is the reason you booked, the blinds make no difference to that anyway.
3. Being home for the whole visit
Exterior work needs nobody present. Interior work needs someone to let the crew in, but not to supervise — you are welcome to carry on with your day once the door is open.
One extra thing, depending on the season
Season | The extra thing | Why it matters | How long it takes |
|---|---|---|---|
Spring | Mention recent pollen or pitch | Changes the method on bonded film | One sentence when booking |
Summer | Confirm irrigation is off | Peak season for overspray damage | One minute |
Autumn | Clear leaves from window wells | Wet litter stains sills while we work | Five minutes |
Winter | Clear ice and snow from access routes | Ladders need stable, clear footing | Ten minutes |
Any season | Say if you are on a well | Determines whether we bring filtered water | One sentence when booking |
Booking tip: if your property is on a well, mention it when you book rather than on the day. It changes what we bring, and finding out on arrival costs time.
A two-minute checklist
That is the whole list, and most of it takes two minutes. The one thing worth repeating: do not clean the windows first. It costs you an afternoon and changes nothing about the job. If you have not booked yet and want to know what the visit covers, that is laid out in the residential service page.
What people ask before their first visit
“Do I need to move furniture?”
Light items near the windows, we move and put back — side tables, lamps, chairs. Heavy pieces stay where they are, so if a bed or a loaded shelf unit sits hard against a window and you want that pane done, it needs moving before we arrive. Tell us when you book if a room needs clearing and we will plan the time.
“Do I have to be home?”
Not for exterior work, as long as we can reach the yard and a water source. Interior work needs someone to let us in, or a code with your written authorisation. Plenty of customers open the door and go to work.
“Should I turn the sprinklers off?”
Yes, the night before, and leave them off until the glass is dry and checked. Untreated irrigation water landing on freshly cleaned panes spots as it dries, which undoes the part of the job you are paying most for.
“What about my dog?”
Secure indoors, or in a room we will not be working in, and let us know where. It is a safety thing more than anything — ladders, buckets and open gates are a bad mix with a dog that wants to say hello.
No obligation. Your exact price before anyone arrives.
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The Window Cleaning
Bend, Oregon
The Window Cleaning Bend provides professional window cleaning for residential, commercial, and vacation rental properties across Bend and Central Oregon. Licensed, insured, and backed by a 7-day rain guarantee.
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